Penang, NCWO join hands for women and children

THE state has linked hands with the National Council of Women Organisation (NCWO) to create awareness on child abduction and abuse of women.

Penang Youth, Sports, Women, Family and Community Develop-ment committee chairman Lydia Ong Kok Fooi said the campaign was necessary due to the growing number of children abducted in Malaysia.

“We will organise more of such activities to generate awareness among the people.”

She said the activities would be coordinated by the gender equality and good governance committee headed by Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng.

Ong described the statistics released by NCWO as “alarming” but said that Penang had been spared such cases of child abduction.

“Nevertheless, the state remains alert and hopes to improve community participation in stopping abuse against women and children.”

Ong said since 2004, more than 6,270 teens have been reported missing nationwide, 4,620 of whom were girls.

Police figures showed that in 2005, 71 runaway girls were found dead. In 2006, another 71 bodies of girls were located while in 2007, there were 3,246 police reports lodged on missing girls and women, said Ong.

The majority of children missing were aged between 14 and 17 years old.